The Swiss are mourning the loss of one of their greatest sports heroes, speed climber Ueli Steck, who died on Sunday in the Himalaya. (SRF/swissinfo.chexternal link)

Steck, dubbed the “Swiss Machine”, was 40 and one of the most celebrated climbers of his generation. He was killed after falling about 1000 metres to the foot of Mount Nuptse, a smaller peak in the area between Everest’s Camps 1 and 2.

Steck’s body was recovered by helicopter and taken to the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu.

He had been planning to climb Everest and nearby Mount Lhotse without supplemental oxygen. In the days leading up to his death, he had been posting photos of the expedition on his Facebook page. In his final post, Steck expressed his love for the area.